Pilot Project: Diabetes, Metabolism and Dementia

The purpose of this COBRE planning grant is to collect feasibility data in preparation of a multi-PI NIH application by Drs. Sabire Ozcan and Paul Murphy. The idea behind this proposal is to take advantage of our individual areas of expertise to tap into an area of strong current NIH interest stemming from the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA; Public Law 111-375), and the related National Alzheimer’s Plan. This initiative directs $100 million of the NIH FY2014 budget into expanding research in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, including the fostering of collaborative efforts directed towards areas of agency overlap. This represents a formalization of an ongoing NIH commitment to examine areas of multidisciplinary overlap in dementia research. We have identified a specific RFA that we want to target for a fall submission (PAS-11-029, “Collaborative Studies on The Central Nervous System and Glycemia (R01)”). This FOA issued by NINDS and NIDDK (for 2-3 new R01s / year), promotes new interdisciplinary collaborations by researchers in neuroscience (Murphy) and in diabetes/metabolism (Ozcan) to further understanding of the mechanisms by which the CNS controls glucose levels and the consequences to the CNS of derangements in these mechanisms, and strongly encourages multi-PI submissions. The specific RFA goal that we are targeting is the investigation of the molecular mechanisms that increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease for people with diabetes. This will be followed by a follow-up submission in June 2014, as we collect more data (or a resubmission of the first application, if it scores well but is not initially funded through this RFA).